Millimicrosecond Time-to-Pulse-Height Converter Using an rf Vernier

Abstract
A time-to-pulse-height converter is described which uses an rf vernier technique to facilitate the timing of an event with respect to the phase of a high-frequency clock. The event starts an oscillator whose frequency differs only slightly from that of the reference clock. The phase of the low-frequency beat note is used as an index of the phase of the clock at the time the event occurred. The system is particularly adaptable to studying fast neutron velocity distributions when the neutron pulses are produced at high repetition rates. It uses a minimum of fast circuit elements, is useful over almost the entire period between pulses at 20 Mc and higher, and gives unambiguous results. The performance with random pulses and with neutron groups has been studied with a 100-channel pulse-height analyzer.

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